The Criminal Soulmate

Chapter Eighteen

Dylan took a deep breath before lunging to where Leanna stood. She squealed, swatting at him.

"Leanna, stop." She didn't seem to hear him, freaking out over how dark it was inside the barn.

Dylan sighed, grabbing her hand and guiding them blindly through the old building. He felt around the walls until his hand brushed across a rickety ladder. He pushed Leanna in front of him, placing her hands on the wooden rungs.

"Just climb straight up. There should be light halfway up to guide you the rest of the way."

He could swear she called him a foul name before starting to climb. Dylan held her hips, letting his hands slide down her legs as she continued upward. Shaking with excitement, he followed her up the ladder, squinting against the blinding light halfway up.

The vast space of the second floor stretched out before them. Leanna stood beside the small opening where the ladder was, mouth forming an O. She turned to him, a mad grin plastered on her face. A long piece of rope hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room, illuminated by the sunlight streaming in through the dozens of holes in the barn walls.

Against the wall opposite them, stood a giant circular structure. It led to the floor below, to a feeder that had once held food for the animals.

Leanna spun in a circle, taking it all in. Dylan watched her, fighting the grin threatening to break through. A minute later, she turned back to him.

"What is this place?"

Dylan smiled, taking a step closer to the hanging rope. "It was my great-grandmother's families farm. The family still owns it, but my dad's the only one still living out here, so it became a sort of hang out for me when I was a kid."

"Just when I think you can't get any stranger, you do this."

Heat rushed to his cheeks, and Dylan looked at the hay-covered floor. "I felt like I should show you more of my past while we're here. That way you'll feel like you know me better."

"Does anyone else know about this place?" asked Leanna, joining him near the center of the room.

Dylan could feel his face flaming; almost certain it must be scarlet. "Uh, yeah, this was sort of the place all my old friends went to make out."

Leanna burst into laughter. "Did you ever come here to make out?"

"No one ever wanted to go anywhere near me. Girls ran away at the sight of me."

"Yeah, right." She looked at him, amusement shining in her eyes. "Are all the girls living around here blind?"

"This might come as a surprise to you, but I was once an awkward teenager with terrible social skills." Dylan reached out to grab the rope, dust coming from it in a small cloud.

An arm brushed against his and he shivered. "So, why did you decide to bring me to this supposed make out spot?"

Lord, give him strength. Dylan turned to face her, standing so close he could count each eyelash if he wanted to. "It's not just a place people came to make out, okay? Here, I'll show you something." He dragged her behind him to the far side of the barn, yanking on another set of doors.

The doors swung inward, peeling back to reveal a lake two hundred meters from the building. From the ground, no one would ever know what awaited them on the other side of the barn, the tall grass serving to hide the body of water.